Stolen Stars:

Chapter Thirteen

Afraid of what they might lose

Might get scraped or they might get bruised.

You could beg them, what's the use?

That's why it's called a moment of truth

(Soldier – Gavin Degraw)

0o0o0o0o0o0

There was a gap between him and his brother. Well, perhaps it would be more apt to describe it as an abyss. He would not deny that it was as much his fault as anyone else's, and this is why Thor refused to spurn any chance at reconcile.

It had been only a few days after the tryst in Vanaheim, and Thor saw that Loki was taking advantage of his new freedoms by training vigorously and wandering the halls of the palace. Thor noticed, however, that Rose did not accompany him anymore. In fact, it had been far too many days since he saw Rose and Loki speak on civil terms. It troubled him, because while Thor was thankful that Loki had yet to cause any sort of disruption in the palace, his disposition was more reserved than usual.

Eventually the blonde warrior decided to take matters into his own hands. Last night he listened in on Lady Tyler's assessment of Loki's progress with Odin, and it was obvious that something had shifted between the two. Rose suddenly began to sound like there was only finishing the job assigned to her, rather than her usual pressing for a thorough conclusion to Loki's reintegration into Asgardian society. It unnerved him to hear such a callous assessment from the woman who had been so passionate about his brother.

Thor found Loki in an empty corridor in the south wing after the evening meal. He was reading; his legs slung over the arm of an oak settee nestled in an alcove. Thor's mind fondly went to former days when he would track down his studious brother in an attempt to rouse him into more physical games.

"I wish to speak with you," Thor said as Loki looked up from his tome. Loki lifted a brow, and Thor got the distinct feeling that he was being mentally scorned.

"What for?" Loki asked, sounding bored as he turned back to his book. Flippant as usual.

"To discuss our adventure in Vanaheim, among other things," he replied. Thor smirked wryly. "Surely you aren't so busy as to refuse such a simple request from your brother?"

A muscle in Loki's jaw twitched, but he did not debate as he was wont to do. He just rolled his eyes and nodded as he snapped the book shut.

"Very well," his brother sighed, setting the book aside and sitting up. Thor took this as an invitation, so he sat next to Loki on the wide settee. The black-haired prince tensed at the familiar proximity, but Thor ignored it.

"I am not going to question how you managed to slip watch and enter Vanaheim—for helping Sif," Thor began. "But I am curious as to why."

"I thought that was fairly obvious," Loki commented. "Asgard needed to free Sif as quickly and with as little bloodshed as possible. Rose and I had the skills required to do so. It was a simple enough task."

"Not necessarily," Thor countered. "Odin could have thrown you back into prison, and Rose would have been sent back to Earth. It was a risk."

"I know," Loki said, letting out a dark chuckle. "That's exactly what I told her, but she had none of it." Thor blinked.

"She had none of it?" Thor repeated, confused. Loki rolled his eyes again.

"Yes, she pulled me into that magic box of hers regardless of my protests," Loki told him. "I did not wish to risk the Odin's wrath, but Rose refused to see reason."

A smile gradually grew on Thor's face as he pictured the scene.

"You mean to tell me," Thor said, "that Rose Tyler bullied you into going to Vanaheim?"

Loki shot him a glare, but Thor fell into laughter at the poorly concealed embarrassment in his face.

"Well that is certainly a relief," he said, grinning broadly. "And I thought it was part of a grander scheme to trick your way back into the All-Father's favor."

"Don't count that out, brother," Loki grumbled. Something loosened in Thor's chest as he heard the term of endearment leave Loki's lips for the first time in too long.

"Oh come, Loki. I feel that Rose is making good for you."

"What, like the pitiful mortal that made the God of Thunder so domestic?" Loki mocked. Thor's grin widened even further.

"Exactly like Jane, yes," Thor said, slyly encouraging the comparison. Loki's mirroring grin faltered when he caught on.

"And how is the woman doing with her beloved so far, far away?" Loki muttered.

"From last I've heard of Jane, she is well," Thor answered before changing the subject back to the other matter at hand. Loki would very likely anger him if he continued to speak of Jane. Thor had not forgotten Loki's threat. "Rose, however, has lost some of her luster lately. I see you in her company less than usual."

"Her only obligation to me is to cure me of the Other's poison," Loki said, his tone reserved. Thor saw right through it.

"Of course," Thor conceded slowly. "But her friendship is surely something to be accounted for."

Loki shifted in discomfort, but he quickly covered it with his trademark sarcasm.

"I am afraid my friendship leaves something to be desired," he said with a tight grin. There was a strange pain in his brother's face, and Thor was frankly shocked to see Loki hold such concern over the effects of his actions on another.

"What happened?" Thor asked. He full well how cruel Loki could be with his words, even to those he loved. And it was no secret that Loki loved this woman—even if it hadn't been for years. Even if Loki refused to believe it.

At first it looked like Loki would brush off Thor's concern, but he simply bowed his head slightly and stared blankly at his hands.

"I exploited her homesickness, and now she resents me," Loki confessed. Thor watched as his brother's whirling mind tried to grapple with the remorse it was conjuring.

"You must apologize, then," Thor insisted. Loki looked up, his constantly shifting eyes cold and accusing.

"Why do you care?" he snapped.

"There are greater things at stake to me and to our family, Loki," Thor said, leaning towards the miserable trickster. "You have done horrible things, to me and to countless others. I cannot forget that, and I'm not sure how much of that comes from you and how much comes from—" Thor swallowed, hesitant. "–anger at me and Father for what we have done to you. But I see Rose, and I realize she has become something of an unexpected mediator in this palace. Something we all desperately needed after all that has happened." Thor laid a heavy hand on Loki's shoulder. "I care for her happiness, Loki. And for some reason, Lady Tyler is happy with you. Well, at least when you make the effort to make her happy."

Thor half expected Loki to shake off his hand and sneer at his sentiment, but for once his brother had nothing to say. The person who ripped apart New York City with glee, the brother who would have gladly killed him in restitution for his right to the throne, was silent in guilt for somehow wronging a single woman.

With a sharp pang in his heart, Thor recognized the look on Loki's face. It was a forlorn, desperate attempt to access the weakness of his situation. He had suspected that Loki would wish to push away Rose on purpose, but it was only now that Thor realized just how devastating such an act would be. Rose had become a compass to Loki, in a haphazard sort of way.

When they were children Loki was able to discern when he had overstepped his rather flexible bounds of mischief-making. That careful balance was no longer present in the trickster, at least not enough to keep Loki from self-destruction. When was that lost? When Loki found out his true parentage? When his plan to rule Asgard was ruined? When he was thrown into the Void? When the Other poisoned Loki to use him as a puppet to wreak havoc on Earth?

It was useless to try to ascertain the reason. Perhaps he was not completely dependent on the mortal, but Loki's ability to veer away from true chaos was in need of Rose Tyler's guidance.

"Rose has not left you yet," Thor reminded Loki. "Surely you can still repair whatever damage has been caused."

Loki stood suddenly, knocking off the book that had lain beside him.

"Why should I?" he asked, his back to Thor. "Rose will be gone in a matter of days, the fog is nearly gone and she will no longer be required to assist me." He huffed in dry amusement. "And how in Hel could a mere apology possibly regain her favor?" Thor watched as Loki passed a hand over his face in frustration.

"Perhaps it won't matter," Thor said quietly. "But then again, could it really do harm to try?"

Loki did not turn around, did not reply. But Thor saw his tight fist at his side relax after a few moments.

"You must excuse me, Thor," Loki murmured. "The hour grows late, and I wish to retire."

"Of course," Thor said, watching his brother. He hoped that Loki would do the right thing. "Good night, Loki."

Loki turned his head towards Thor, his eyes holding barely restrained doubt and conflict. He nodded sharply before heading to his quarters.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Seidh resurfaced from the trance with a pained gasp. She hid her face in her hands in a hopeless attempt to dispel the horror of her visions.

It had been a strange few days—no word from the Great Ones, no wish for her to report the status of Rose Tyler and Loki. After their fight, Seidh was concerned over the inability for Rose to properly dispel the poison. So she decided to take matters into her own hands. The encouragement of their intervention in Vanaheim had been a risk, but Seidh assumed that since her orders were to bring Loki closer to his family it would be worth it. She thrilled in the prospect that Thor took his own initiative to bring Loki and Rose back together. His words were well placed and the intent pushed Loki down the proper path. After her time watching over Asgard, Seidh even began to grow fond of the princes and the story of their brotherhood.

What she did not anticipate was the violent outcome her actions had caused—or rather, will cause.

It was foolish of her to forget the journey's end. Seidh had been so caught up with tempting the romanticism of healing and familial reconcile that it had been all too easy to overlook where their lifelines were leading to.

It is destined, it is necessary, she tried to tell herself. The royal line must be severed completely, regardless of how the brothers felt towards one another. It was the only way to fulfill Ragnarok—if one dies, all must perish.

The words of Fate were inscribed into Seidh's very being; she could not ignore the visions when they came to her. She only allowed herself to become tied emotionally to the events that were playing and would play out before her. An unwise decision for a Norn.

So she watched helplessly as the brothers destroyed each other, their neoteric attempts to resolve their past turned futile. The only thing changed by Seidh would be the amount of betrayal and hurt that the two must encounter.

"So what good is it?" Seidh asked furtively into the dark space she inhabited as per her orders. She did not expect a reply but the doubt remained, eating like a cancer in her heart. The silence from her Great Ones only made it worse. "What good is it…"